The texture of Comtesse de Cayla is soft, creamy, and very lightweight–for such a creamy consistency, it’s surprisingly light on the lips. There’s opaque color payoff with a single pass of the lipstick, which is easily applied as it glides on like softened butter. The shimmer is very fine, so it doesn’t look frosted or metallic on the lips–it is a more forgiving finish and texture on lips with more lines, dryness, and the like. When I tested this shade for wear, it wore for five hours and lost some of the glossiness in the natural finish after three and a half. It was in need of a full reapplication after six and a half hours.

Cle de Peau advertises that there are “skincare benefits” in the formula, and while I can’t attest to that, given that I cannot commit to a single formula for six weeks to trial it, I can weigh-in on the short-term benefits like de-emphasis of lip lines (softened after ten to fifteen minutes of wear) and intense hydration. There are a lot of lipsticks that keep lips hydrated while you wear them to the point where your lips are no worse for the wear after they’ve faded, but there are fewer formulas that leave your lips feeling more hydrated than they were when you first applied the product.

One of the more frequent questions I’ll receive from readers whenever I post about a luxury product is, “Is it worth it?” The answer is really going to depend on you: your preferences, budget, and how much you love what you already have. My answer is always yes and no; yes, it’s absolutely worth it if it’s going to be a shade that you reach for, wear, and love every time you apply it, but no, not if you buy it and never wear it. I just repurchased Cle de Peau’s #2 Lipgloss (my all-time favorite gloss color), which is beautiful and lovely in every way, suits my coloring, and is one of the few glosses I’ll wear alone. What I can tell you is that the Extra Rich formula is fantastic–you are, at the very least, getting a high quality product.

The Glossover

It's every bit a luxury product--it feels lightweight, silky soft, and applies beautifully with rich color payoff, flattering undertones across skin tones, and is one of the most hydrating formulas on the market. Whether it's worth it is part of each individual's justification/rationalization process, but I can at least tell you that you're getting a high quality product.

Where to Buy

Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.

Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!

On eyes: Make Up For Ever #32E, 20E, and 2E Aqua Shadow Pencils. On cheeks: Sleek Peach Shimmer.

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I don’t really understand the fuss over the price; yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it’s more than I’ve ever spent, or will spend, on a lipstick, because I’m too fickle with lipstick to use up products. But, spending $20 on a lipstick is normal (for many), and I will easily buy three $20 lipsticks and not use up any of them. Spending $60 on a lipstick you use up completely is actually a better value. So, if I was the kind of person who had a very small, curated makeup collection (rather than my unwieldy one), I would probably be wiling to pay the price for luxury-priced items.

I agree with you. I have been collecting makeups for so long now, i have both of the high end brands and drug store brands. I love 80% of the high end producuts i have, but only about 30% of the drug store prodcuts i feel satisfied with the quality. I feel like i waste my money on the 70% of the cheaper prodcuts.

@Emi at Project Swatch I agree with this. My makeup collection is very small, but that’s because I don’t wear makeup often and don’t see the point in collecting eyeshadows when I wear tinted glasses and it’s hard to see my eyes. But I am willing to pay for quality in the items I do have. I just bought Chanel foundation (I love it) and my first Rouge G arrived tonight (I did not know I could love a lipstick this much). Lipgloss I’ll buy wherever because I always have something on my lips and I’ll pick those up here and there, but most of my stuff is limited but high-end.

@Christine (Temptalia) I got 06, garance – it’s the *perfect* every day shade for me, and I know I’ll use it. I also want grenade and garconne, so I’ll be saving up for them thank you for all the swatches, btw – I wouldn’t have known what to buy otherwise!

@Emi at Project Swatch To me, there’s a line that needs to be hit, even with the higher end products, of uniqueness or higher quality to justify their prices. Because there are even bargain lines that have been hitting high quality marks. Of course, if it’s not something you’re going to reach for, it’s not worth any price. And if you love it, it’s worth many of the cheaper ones. I’m just not going to love something that’s 3-10x the cost of other beloved products if it’s not bringing something very unique to the table.

UD lipsticks and glosses are my favorites, but I have some products I love made by drugstore brands that I use nearly equally. I do have a Neiman giftcard burning a whole in my pocket that I’m going to use for a risk-free trial on a luxury brand…probably Guerlain, but I might go for something by Armani or CdP.

@Quinctia @Emi at Project Swatch That may be because UD dares to use mineral oil for staying power, and so do a lot of cheaper brands because they can’t afford to use more expensive oils. Mineral oil is actually NOT the evil it’s been made out to be – that’s just scare tactic propaganda from brands trying to hurt other brands over the years. (Some people are sensitive to mineral oil, but anyone can be sensitive to anything.) Nothing matches mineral oil for both staying power and moisturizing properties, so that may be what you find so appealing about both UD and the drugstore brands you like nearly as well. (I feel the same way!)

It is very expensive and the color isn’t very unique, but it looks like a solid lipstick. The color IS pretty and very flattering, and quality is more important that color. I hate those lipsticks that start disappear in an hour or that accentuate every imperfection.

@Screamer77 shiseido is not the only company that tests on animals- estee lauder companies and most drugstore brands test on animals, and if a line states they dont test, find out if the ingredients are tested, most cosmetic lines dont tell you if their ingredients are tested, which is worse imo!

honestly, the color looks very ordinary and very dupable. I couldn’t justify spending $60 for a lipstick – I have many and love to rotate and wear most if not all.
In the interest of economic feasability, why don’t you do more swatches of Inglot or another well-priced lipstick?
I’ve tried Guerlain Rouge G, an definitly nothing special there either…I just don’t see the appeal. Disappointing post and review.

@Christine (Temptalia) fyi, I do not wear drugstore makeup, except for occasionally L’Oreal mascara. I wear dept. store cosmetics, but my point is that some of these shades look so ordinary that it surprises me that they can be so expensive. I know alot of French goods have high duty, but still. The markup on most foreign cosmetics is pretty ridiculous anyway. I’ve had to economize in the last few years, so I scrutinize makeup alot, because I love it. No offense intended, Christine. I love most of your reviews!

@singrsling She actually does alot of reviews on cheaper lipsticks, but honestly I think that she should review whatever she would like to review, and if she reviews something on request I’d count that as a favour to us readers, not something she owes us..

I love this! I’d been wavering on Cle de Peau products up till now but after seeing your review and swatches, I ordered a lipstick and gloss from Nordstrom I can’t wait. And as to price, come on now – I think many of us pay *tons* of money on makeup, I know a lot of us who are hobbyists in makeup art certainly do. So if I think, well, if I reach my hand into my lipstick drawer and pick up any three lipsticks it will cost the same, then it feels kind of disingenuous to be outraged about the $60 price on this. For the past couple of years I’ve exclusively bought luxury cosmetics, and I know I’m fortunate, but still, if you’re seriously offended by the price of very high quality makeup, you’re kidding yourself.

﻿This is a great look for you. Very understated and elegant. The shade is a very pretty – I love how the shimmer wears glossy under lighting.

I’m a little surprised you get so much backlash for reviewing these more expensive items, especially on a blog that’s pretty open-minded about brand quality up and down the price spectrum. Luxury brands are going to exist whether I care for them or not. Who am I to judge what people spend their own money on?

I love it. And wonderful review Christine. I can understand people who think that 60 dollars is expensive for a lipstick but I think it’s important for you to review as many products out there, regardlesss of price. After all different people with different budgets and tastes read this blog. I love that you try to review as many make up brands as possible and keep it diverse. Nothing disappointing about this review at all! The color is lovely! Do you think it would look nice on a nc50 complexion? If so I might save up on get this.

It would be soft and pretty on a deeper complexion – adding some warmth but not being too bold.

Most readers come for mid to high-end, with some interested in drugstore/mass and others interested in high-end to luxury. I don’t plan on dedicating the blog to either end of the spectrum, but I like to try and write reviews for products across the board, too. One of the reasons we do skew higher rather than lower is that access to higher-end products is lower, you’re forking over more money, and not everyone can see it in person.

It’s also important as a reviewer to know what’s out there to whatever extent you can, because every product I review adds to the “big picture.” It stretches your idea of “worst” and “best” on the market. Sometimes “best” can include three or four formulas, but the distinctions will be in the texture – e.g. dry mattes vs. soft mattes!

I personally gravitate to higher end products when I do not think I can get similar colour or quality elsewhere. This lipstick is pretty, but I see it looking much more spectacular on considerably darker skin than my NC25/30 ish skin. I do not think I would do $60 dollars for this lipstick, but that’s why it is so great to read these reviews! In addition, Christine’s blog is a lot more convenient to read and review at leisure than walking around in a major department store from beauty counter to beauty counter to see what is actually out there. Thanks Christine!

I personally gravitate to higher end products when I do not think I can get similar colour or quality elsewhere. This lipstick is pretty, but I see it looking much more spectacular on considerably darker skin than my NC25/30 ish skin. I do not think I would do $60 dollars for this lipstick, but that’s why it is so great to read these reviews! In addition, Christine’s blog is a lot more convenient to read and review at your leisure rather than walking around in a major department store from beauty counter to beauty counter to see what is actually out there. Thanks Christine!

I’ve had this lipstick since last year. The color is lovely but I don’t know why but I find it a bit gritty compared to my other extra rich lipsticks. Like T7, R5, etc. I think it might be the microshimmer. But I still love the lipstick. It just doesn’t seem as slick as Guerlain’s Rouge G’s or Rouge Automatiques(the ones without shimmer-because I definitely feel a bit of difference with texture with the glittery ones) compared to the other Cle de Peau’s I own.